No turning back on Super City reforms says ARC Chairman, Mike Lee

29 July 2009

We have no time to waste debating the merits of fundamental change to local government in Auckland, says ARC Chairman Mike Lee. 

"People want change.  They want local government to be more able to support Auckland's cohesive development and growth.  Our challenge is to work with central government to finetune the detail of the change, and ensure the deadline of 1 November 2010 for the new Auckland Council is met." 

Mr Lee believes community councils are key to the success of the reforms. 

"Community councils must be set up to give local people a proper say in the development of their community, by promoting decision making at a local level within parameters set by the new Auckland Council," he says. 

In its submission to the Auckland Governance Legislation Select Committee, the ARC called for local boards to be renamed community councils and their members to be called community councillors.  The ARC made this call believing the new names would better reflect the mandate and standing in the community the community boards and their councillors need to have. 

The ARC’s submission is summarised below: 

Community Councils (local boards) 

Community councils must be based on meaningful and well established communities of interest.  They should be given clear local decision making roles and responsibilities.  This is key to the promotion of local democracy. 

We would like to see the role of community boards in making decisions on local issues protected in legislation, including a base set of roles and functions for local boards, and a transparent process for the Auckland Council to delegate further roles and responsibilities.

We are also recommend a new statutory instrument – a community plan – as a mechanism through which community councils would engage with, and be accountable to, their community and the Auckland Council. 

Furthermore, community councils must be funded appropriately to carry out their roles and responsibilities. We suggest that community councils be bulk funded through annual grants based on a formula that is transparent, equitable, and accounts for local circumstance

Representation for the Auckland Council

The ARC recommends legislation provide for 22 members (not including the Mayor) elected on the basis of single member wards, of which 20 would be general wards and two Maori wards. 

We believe the boundaries of the proposed 20-30 community councils should generally align with the general wards of the new Auckland Council.

Extent of Auckland Council area

One of the chief drivers of the reforms is to bring a whole-of-region approach to the Auckland region’s development and growth, environmental and infrastructural challenges and opportunities

To achieve this objective, we believe the area of the Auckland region cannot be reduced in any way.  Indeed, the ARC recommends the Auckland region is extended in the south to include the area of Franklin that is north of the Waikato River, as it was up until 1989. 

Auckland’s rural areas are some of the fastest growing areas in New Zealand.  This in turn creates intense growth pressure that must be managed in a way that is integrated with Auckland’s development as a whole. 

Mangatangi and Mangatawhiri dams and water storage lakes, and the southern regional boundary

The ARC is strongly opposed to the provision in the Bill that requires the Local Government Commission to exclude from the Auckland region the Mangatawhiri and Mangatangi dams and water storage lakes, and the area between the them and the Firth of Thames.  

Deliberately placing vitally important infrastructure outside the jurisdiction of the new Auckland Council seems to fly in the face of the rationale for reforming local government in Auckland.  That is, greater integration of Auckland’s infrastructure and assets to enable more efficient, more cost-effective decision making and governance.

Transport

The ARC disagrees with establishing a Council Controlled Organisation for transport in Auckland, when the rationale for the new Auckland Council is to simplify, streamline and integrate. 

The simplest model would be to include all transport functions in the Auckland Council.  The ARC cannot see what additional benefits would be gained by establishing a Regional Transport Authority.

Governance and management of water supply, sewage and stormwater (the three waters)

The ARC agrees with the proposal to integrate water supply, wastewater and stormwater services into a single service provider.

However, the legislation must provide for clear separation of the regulatory responsibility for water supply, wastewater and stormwater (the Auckland Council) from the provision of services and asset management (Watercare).

For a copy of the ARC’s complete submission, please follow this link to the ARC website:
http://www.arc.govt.nz/auckland/our-auckland/regional-governance.cfm

ENDS

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